Bayer CropScience US blast kills worker – reports

TORONTO (ICIS news)--One worker was killed and another one injured in an explosion at a Bayer CropScience plant near Charleston, West Virginia, late last night, US media reported on Friday.

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A company spokesman at Bayer CropScience’s headquarters in ?xml:namespace>Monheim, Germany, was not immediately available for comment on Friday.

The blast occurred in a waste treatment unit at the plant, Associated Press reported, citing a local Bayer spokesman.

The unit had been closed for maintenance and was restarted earlier in the week, it added.

The explosion could be felt kilometres away from the plant, the reports said.

It prompted authorities to order nearby residents to stay indoors and to temporarily close several major highways, the reports said, adding that the highways were reopened at 02:00 local time (06:00 GMT) this morning.